Officially.

But quiet-like, the 'verse lives on in the Serenity Tales Web site, a clearinghouse for stories set in comic-book form. The site continues the tales of Mal and his crew and fills in gaps where even Joss feared to tread. The result is a small but growing archive designed to entertain bereft Firefly fans.

The Web site's main page is fairly comprehensive: It contains a blog with a description of available scripts, script guidelines and official merchandise, plus a link to the forum, where artists and writers can kibitz. And of course, there are the comics themselves, which range in tone from somber (see "The Black") to hi-larious (see "Notes on a Fridge").

Contributors include artists Bill Mudron, Mike Russell and Neal Skorpen, who have their own comics (Web and otherwise). A recent script was written by Mark Bourne, a published
science fiction/fantasy author. According to the FAQ, maintaining this level of quality means that all submitted scripts are screened and carefully edited.

Writers who cannot draw can submit their scripts to the site's creators, Mudron and Russell, who will help pair them with an artist. The artistic styles vary: Some are more South Park and others more Dark Horse. But they're all driven and enthusiastic. Serenity Tales makes for a pleasant way to while away the hours while waiting for the official novelizations.

It's a collection of comic books and Joss Whedon's Firefly—a better combination than cattle rustlin' and compression coils.